1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to marine vessels and watercraft and more particularly to a multiple position hidden aft lounge seat for marine vessels and watercraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Marine vessel and watercraft designs have included a variety of seating arrangements and designs for the boaters. The specific seating arrangements conventially reflect the overall size and intended use of the boat, whether it be pleasure-craft, sport-fishing, water sports, etc. . . . . Many pleasure-craft incorporate various forms of sunpads that are used by boaters to sunbathe. Such sunpads are often located across areas of the boat and do not provide actual seating, but rather provide a simply flat surface. It is typical to find such sunpads over an engine compartment at an elevation significantly higher than the deck of the boat. However, given the limited amount of space found on typical marine vessels, there are benefits to providing multiple-purpose seating features that improve on existing sunpad and seating arrangements. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved and more robust seating configurations and, in particularly, convertible or multi-position seating configurations.
Although prior designs have sought to improve the structure, operation, and utility of seats on marine vehicles, these designs have failed to adequately maximize space and allow for a variety of seated, lounging, and sunbathing positions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,018 to Greenberg discloses a rumble seat that is pivotally and retractably mounted within the fore deck of a boat. A seat is frame mounted, and the assembly pivots from a closed position with a back forming deck panel, and an upright seating position similar to early automotive designs. This design does not provide as sundeck, only seating. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,648 to Davidson teaches particular seat and platform assemblies which are collapsible for desired configurations and uses specific to bass boats that do not provide a wide variety of available positions or a robust set of features pertinent to pleasure-craft. U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,963 to Zuzik relates to an aft deployable sun pad/deck section but doesn't provide enhanced usable space or efficient multiple seating positions.
While these designs provide some modularity as to seating positions, they are not engineered to be useful for aft seating near the transom of a vessel, nor do they provide adequate modularity and the multiple-positions desired and needed in the marine vessel designs of today. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a better designed, more modular seating system for marine vessels that provides optimum comfort and a variety of usable seating and lounging positions while maintaining simple operation and a unified appearance.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the marine vessel seating systems in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.